Survey of good / bad advice by Legal Action Group

[mortlake]

LAG.org.uk/ have this survey on their front page:

Online Surveys | Zoomerang

Their axe to grind is about law-centre funding and access to justice.

 

Mine is that large trades unions are often just claims management agencies for no-win no-fee lawyers, worse than useless in complex cases and getting-away with business practices which are probably illegal but which members are too tired and skint to sue them for after being let-down. I hope one or two other ripped-off union members fill-in the survey.

 

(if you google "employees.org.uk" you'll see why some people are cross with unions - I don't mean to start a thread with this and repeat what's been said in others, just to publicise someone's survey)

 

Replies on paper are welcome at

Legal Action Group, FREEPOST LON 6469, London, N1 9BR

 

Survey on availability of advice

Legal Action Group and the Access to Justice Alliance have designed this survey to find out how easy it is for members of the public to get advice. We do not give legal advice. We are interested in knowing about the experiences you have had in the last year. We are conducting this survey so that we can better influence Government policy on providing funding for advice services. This questionnaire is short and it is likely that only one or two sections will apply to you. In using the information you give us, we will not use your name or any details that might identify you to a third party.

 

 

Filling in the questionnaire

Please answer all questions in Sections A and B as fully as you can. Section C (Contact details) is optional and you do not have to complete this if you do not want to do so. You can complete the survey online www.lag.org.uk/advicesurvey.

 

 

Thank you for completing the survey

Please now return it to: Legal Action Group, FREEPOST LON 6469, London N1 9BR

 

 

Section A – Your experiences

1. If you had a problem in the past year about your rights, please tell us what it was about. If you had more than one problem, please tell us about the most recent problem.

 

• Consumer
  
• Neighbours
  
• Money/debt
  
• Employment
  
• Personal injury
  
• Housing
  
• Welfare benefits
  
• Relationship breakdown
  
• Divorce
  
• Children
  
• Clinical negligence
  
• Domestic violence
  
• Discrimination
  
• Unfair treatment by police
  
• Homelessness
  
• Mental health
  
• Immigration
  
• Community care
  
• Other (please specify)
  

 

 

 

 

2. Did you try to get advice on your rights about this problem?  Yes  No (please go to Question 19)

 

 

3. Did you try to get this advice:

 Over the telephone  In person  In another way (please specify)

 

 

4. If you tried to get advice, were you successful?  Yes  No

If no, why was this?

 

 

5. If you did get advice, did it help you to deal with the problem?  Yes  No

 

 

6. When did you last try to get advice about this problem?

 

 Within the last month

 One to two months ago

 Two to three months ago

 More than three months ago

 If it was more than three months ago, when was it?

 

 

 

 

 

7. How many organisations did you approach when trying to get advice?

 One  Two  Three or more

 

 

8. Which was the last organisation you approached?

 

 A Citizens Advice Bureau

 Another advice agency

 A Law Centre

 A firm of solicitors

 Other (please specify)

 

 

 

9. Did you get to see somebody?  Yes  No

 

 

10. Was the person you saw:

 

 An adviser

 A solicitor

 A trainee solicitor

 A barrister

 A receptionist, secretary or admin worker

 Don’t know

 

 

11. Did they give you some advice about your rights?  Yes  No

 

 

12. Did they help you further – by writing letters on your behalf, taking on your case, or representing you?

 Yes  No

 

 

13. Did they do everything you wanted them to do?

 Yes  No Please explain

 

 

14. Did they help you to resolve the problem to your satisfaction?  Yes  No

 

 

15. If not, why do you think the adviser was unable to resolve the problem to your satisfaction?

 

 

16. How, if at all, did you pay for the legal advice you received?

 

 

• I went to an advice agency that gives free advice
  
• I paid for all the advice myself
  
• The advice was covered in full by the legal aid scheme
  
• I paid for part of the advice – the rest was covered by legal aid
  
• The advice was provided through a trade union or insurance company scheme
  
• I had a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement
  
• Other (please specify)
  

 

 

 

17. Would you recommend the organisation to a friend who had a similar problem?

 Yes  No If not, why not?

 

 

18. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your case and how it was dealt with?

 

 

 

Section B – Background

19. Which of these age groups do you belong to?

 

 

• Under 17
  
• 17-24
  
• 25-34
  
• 35-49
  
• 50-64
  
• 65 or over
  

 

 

20. What is your gender?  Male  Female

 

 

21. Do you have any long-term illness, health problem or disability that limits your daily activities or the work you can do?

 Yes  No If yes, you have the option to provide details.

 

 

 

22. What is your ethnic group?

 

 

• White
  
• Indian
  
• Pakistani/ Bangladeshi
  
• Chinese
  
• Black Caribbean
  
• Black African
  
• Mixed
  
• Other ethnic group, please specify
  

 

 

 

23. What is your employment status?

 

 Self-employed

 Employed full time (30 hours or more per week)

 Employed part time (8 – 29 hours per week)

 Not working (less than 8 hours per week)

 Retired

 

 

24. Can we quote your comments in this survey to support our campaign, provided that we do not use your name or any details that might identify you to a third party?

 Yes  No

 

 

25. Would you be happy for us to contact you to discuss your answers further?

 Yes  No

 

 

Section C - Contact details (optional)

26. Please provide your contact details below. Please note we will not pass on your details to anyone outside of Legal Action Group or the Access to Justice Alliance or use these for any purpose other than those specified without your permission.

Name

Address

Telephone Email

Legal Action Group (LAG) is a national charity committed to improving access to justice, particularly for the vulnerable and socially excluded. We believe that equal access to justice is a fundamental democratic right. We believe that access to proper legal advice is essential to enable people to obtain access to justice.

 

 

The Access to Justice Alliance (AJA) is supported by community groups, national charities, lawyers, advisers and others who feel strongly that justice should remain accessible to all. We believe that the funding crisis facing legal aid cannot be ignored any longer.

[elche]

Mine is that large trades unions are often just claims management agencies for no-win no-fee lawyers, worse than useless in complex cases and getting-away with business practices which are probably illegal but which members are too tired and skint to sue them for after being let-down. I hope one or two other ripped-off union members fill-in the survey.

 

I know you didn't want to start a thread with this, but a few years ago, I spent 3 years working for a solicitors firm that dealt almost exclusivley with employers liability claims (accidents at work) for one of the largest TU's (which i shall not name) in the country.

 

I think in all, the TU's have more good points than bad, and agree that in an EL claim a union funded claimant is in a better position than one on a conditional fee agreement, however the unions have become incresingly aware of the value of their unique access to claimants and now view this as an increasingly valuable income stream i.e. by selling the claims to solicitors.

 

No problem with this per se, but the union members i always dealt with had no idea this was happening. If it does happen it should be transparent to all what is going on. I don't work there anymore, and cannot be certain if anything has changed, but the transparency which helps keep everything objective and honest certainly did not exist with this Union, then.

 

That said, to anyone at work with problems - Join a Union - together we're stronger!

Edited August 14, 2008 by elche
typo!